From avoiding religious services and public spaces to delaying having kids or seeking medical care, discriminatory measures take a wide toll on the health and well-being of LGBTQ Americans, a new report is detailing. The impacts are particularly acute for transgender and intersex individuals.
As detailed in the Center for American Progress's "The LGBTQI+ Community Reported High Rates of Discrimination in 2024" report, more than two in 10 transgender adults reported experiencing some kind of housing discrimination. And nearly half of transgender adults reported experiencing discrimination in public spaces, including stores, restaurants, public transportation, and restrooms.
Nearly one in four intersex adults had to travel to a different state in order to access abortion, reproductive, or maternal care because laws in their state ban or restrict it, the report found. Meanwhile, nearly one in four LGBTQI+ adults reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace, according to CAP.
Particularly alarming was the finding that one in five (21%) transgender adults decided not to have children (compared to 2% of heterosexual adults) in 2024 due to restricted health care access in the wake of the repeal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. The decision that June by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a federal right to abortion access has resulted in 13 states currently banning abortion and various state legislatures restricting access to reproductive health care.
CAP's survey was conducted amid a presidential election that saw Republicans aggressively attack transgender people in political ads and stump speeches. Last year also saw 530 bills targeting LGBTQ rights be introduced across the country.
"In an environment that increasingly politicizes the rights and dignity of LGBTQI+ people, we urgently need to understand how discrimination and stigma affect the community," stated report co-author Cait Smith, who is trans and director of LGBTQI+ policy at CAP. "These harms are far-reaching, affecting everything from access to quality health care to economic well-being. With an eye toward pursuing equitable communities, we hope this survey helps identify the key barriers LGBTQI+ people face."
Due to the legislative restrictions on reproductive care, CAP added questions about the matter to its 2024 survey. It found that LGBTQI+ people were more likely to report negative impacts due to the restrictive laws in their states.
Seven percent of LGBTQI+ adults and 11% of transgender adults delayed family planning due to laws banning care, according to the report. And the authors noted that "concerningly, 5 percent of LGBTQI+ adults and 11 percent of intersex adults reported that they were unable to access abortion at all due to laws banning this care."
Released March 12, the 2024 report presents findings from Wave 3 of CAP's LGBTQI+ Community Survey. The report's analysis includes data from a nationally representative group of 3,360 people over age 18, 1,703 of which identify as LGBTQI+. It was conducted in partnership with nonpartisan research group NORC at the University of Chicago.
It found that more than one-third – 36% - of LGBTQI+ adults in the United States experienced some kind of discrimination in the previous year. For LGBTQI+ adults of color, 40% had been discriminated against, compared with 26% for non-LGBTQI+ adults of color. The report also found that 62% of transgender adults experienced discrimination last year.
It has led LGBTQ people to alter their daily routines or avoid certain situations. In one example, the report found 41% of all LGBTQI+ adults avoid houses of worship, while the number increases to 63% for transgender people and 53% for those intersex.
Among trans adults, 67% said they had changed their style of mannerisms, while 57% of intersex adults had done so. Among all LGBTQI+ adults, just 38% had done so.
Forty-two percent of intersex and 37% of trans adults had moved to a new location, while just 27% of all LGBTQI+ adults had done so last year to avoid discrimination. Of those who hid their personal relationships, 67% of trans, 57% of intersex, and 53% of all LGBTQI+ adults said they had done so last year.
"Discrimination affected the mental well-being of 52 percent of LGBTQI+ adults 'significantly or more.' This jumps to 61 percent for disabled LGBTQI+ adults and 74 percent for transgender adults," according to the report. "Discrimination also affected LGBTQI+ people physically, with 29 percent of LGBTQI+ survey respondents reporting at least 'moderate' impacts on their physical well-being in 2024."
The results are hardly a surprise to anyone paying attention to the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ laws and regulations that have been adopted in statehouses across the country in recent years. CAP's report is the latest in a host of recent studies and surveys documenting the impact anti-LGBTQ laws have on LGBTQ people.
As the Bay Area Reporter noted in a March 5 article, data from a 2024 survey found that 35% of LGBTQ+ young people in California had "seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 39% of transgender and nonbinary young people." It also reported that 11% attempted suicide in the past year, including 14% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Another report published in January estimated that roughly 266,000 LGBTQ+ young people and their families have uprooted their lives and left a state because of anti-LGBTQ politics or laws. As the B.A.R. noted in its coverage, an overwhelming 90% of LGBTQ+ young people cited "recent politics" as having impacted their well-being. Among transgender and nonbinary youth, the percentage was 94%.
One solution for ending discrimination against LGBTQ Americans is the enactment of a federal law upholding their rights, noted Haley Norris, an analyst for LGBTQI+ policy at CAP who co-authored the nonpartisan policy institute's report.
"To protect this vulnerable community from further harm, Congress should pass legislation securing comprehensive nondiscrimination protections such as those in the Equality Act, which would safeguard LGBTQI+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and public spaces such as restaurants," stated Norris, who is queer and trans.
Alas, previous efforts to pass the omnibus legislation out of Congress all stalled. And with the GOP currently controlling both chambers and supportive of the Trump administration's various anti-LGBTQ actions, it is highly unlikely such a law will be passed in the coming years.
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